For Monsters We Become
by Darkneostar1
Summary: A different choice. A different life. A different situation.. If there is a change, then there is a difference. Choices, are all that matter. The choices that were made created our present. The choices we make decide our future. And today is a dream. That dream is all I have left from them. But I did not know, that all dreams eventually disappear, when the dreamer wakes.


**AN: Just so everyone knows, this is my first time trying out an idea for this x-over. I come up with various ideas, but decided on this one. There may be some parts that seem similar to other stories in this x-over, and that is due to the different stories I've read that helped me come up with an idea. A big part of my decision to try out a story is due to the story _Imperfect World_ by Omblitus-Umbrae. Other stories helped me come up with some decisions on what to do for certain arcs, but I can't promise that I won't be using cliche things to progress the plot along.**

 **Another thing I would like to make clear is that I can not promise set updates. I write when I feel it. So that may be that I blaze through entire chapters to get the story moving along or to get more stuff out on the differing relationships between characters. Then I may stop and certain parts because I can not decide where to go from there as I am thinking up on how I want to tackle the next arc. Be sure though, if I am undecided on how to approach the issue, I will tell people reading in the latest chapter published so people know that it may take me a while. On that note, I am an average writer, so do not expect a work of art from me. I intend to attempt to make an engaging and enjoyable story that will make people want to read and think about what is going on in my story and to imagine what could be happening next.**

 **The main character will be Naruto. There will be other side characters that I will be focusing on as well, for example Negi, and Naruto's love interests, but that does not change the fact that Naruto is main beau. I will also be switching POV's every now and then to give the story a different perspective.**

 **I am also stating right here and right now, that the Naruto I am going to be using is NOT the Happy, Go-Lucky prankster that everyone eventually comes to acknowledge and love as he becomes Hokage. This can be considered an AU Naruto where different shit goes down and even more different shit is mixed up. He will be different. You may not like him. I may not like him once I get into writing him and make him seem like someone I want to kill because that's how my fingers wrote him. But the image I have of him in my head as of me writing this is severely different from personality to looks(because I just want an excuse to make a badass looking Naruto) of what is considered the 'norm' when it comes to how Naruto is usually portrayed in. Actually, I may have remembered a couple of stories where I am trying to portray him in a similar light, but that's like two stories off the top of my head out of the hundreds I've read taking place in the Narutoverse or at least have Naruto in them.**

 **Lastly, let's be serious here. There's going to be a harem. I don't know how many in the end. I don't know who (atm) in the end. All I know is that I am not going to be having nearly half of class 3A falling head over heels for Naruto in a single week. I am going to attempt to build up his relationships and whatnot. I am not a savant when it comes to writing the romance genre (as well as smut) so please bear with me. Getting back on track though, I have maybe four girls from 3A that off the top of my head may fall in love with Naruto, two of which may not if I change my mind. That does not mean that there are others from other places that may fall for him. That may add another three. And that's that. The Naruto I am going to be portraying would be considered an 'older' Naruto. He will be knowledgeable in various situations by portraying whatever I can pull out of my ass to seem appropriate in different situations if I was in said situation or by whatever seems funny to me then. That also means that he will also be seen more as an adult to the class.**

 **Now then, on with the story.**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own either stories or characters from said stories. If I did, well, I'd probably be doing what I'm doing now since I would love to see what people have done to expand onto such stories.**

* * *

It was a cloudless sky tonight as he looked upwards to the stars. It reminded him of his childhood. Looking up and pondering whether or not there was more to life than this. Just going through the motions, just trying to find a reason to live on to the next day. Whether or not he should just end it all. Not that anything would change. He'd just come back. He always came back whenever he tried it. No matter what, he would just close his eyes for a slight moment and they would reopen as if there was never anything wrong in the first place.

It was on nights like these where there was no one else around him. No one but himself and his thoughts. A dangerous combination considering what flits though his mind randomly now-a-days. It was also on nights like these that important things happen. His 'birth'/sealing of the Kyuubi, the day he chose the path of destruction, the day he learned who he wished to be, the day he betrayed them, the day they swore to kill him, the day he accepted what he had become, the day he died and was reborn, the day he was cast adrift.

The day he met her.

He could feel his mouth twist in a bitter grimace. Ever since he arrived here. It all started with her. Ever since he got involved with her, his life has be full of various things, both good and bad. But he could't really say he loves her. At most, he holds affection for her, no matter how much he wishes to hate her. For helping him. For nursing him back to health. For trying to find out more about him. For staying by his side. For giving him something wonderful to love. For giving him something deplorable to hate. For giving him life again. For being just who she is.

All on just a whim.

'No good.' He thought to himself again. He doesn't want to be thinking about her again. He just wishes for something to happen, to distract him from my thoughts. A flash of light and the sound of thunder broke him from his reverie. He could smell the ozone in the air and taste the metallic tang of iron in the air. Happy, yet disgusted ant the prospect of there being a slaughter to take his mind off things, he stood from whence he laid, disappearing into the night. Towards the sounds of battle and carnage. Towards the feeling of death. Something he is well-acquainted with throughout his whole life.

He appeared atop a fallen steeple, an ominous symbol of what is happening if his thoughts are correct. He glances down to look at a fleeing mage, before he is bifurcated from head to groin by a looming shadow. It stands atop its hind legs, a twisted form of man and monster as scales cover the body with a tail and various horns and spikes adorning its body.

Without another look, the man jumps down crashing atop its skull as it is crushed and splatters the grey matter around him. He lets some of his magic loose, not enough to scare the other demons away, but enough to get them to come his way for a chance to cut him up.

"Well, let's hope that there's some survivors." The man muttered as he ducks under a hand and pierces the demon with his hand.

* * *

He is running through the town, the stench of blood and gore too much for his childish mind. All he could think was to keep running, away from the town of people he loved dearly, away from the home where he spent his short four years of life, away from the blood, away from the corpses, away from the people he will never see again, away from the monsters.

He stumbles and falls slightly, spraining his ankle. He crashes into an overturned cart, making a small ruckus. He clamps his blood soaked hand over his mouth, ignoring the stench of burnt flesh and the taste of blood and dirt on his lips from the corpse besides him.

'That's Mister Homer, the baker.' He thought horrified as he saw the kind man who would give him bread each day for free for breakfast. Inside the house, he spotted Mister Homer's wife who had adopted Big Sis, Missus Marge laying dead, face down on the floor in a puddle of blood. And underneath her cradled in her arms is-

'STOP!' His mind screams at him, not continuing that trail of thought. He averted his eyes quickly, lest he continue down that dark path. He focuses back on trying to listen if anyone is coming. He could hear one of those THINGS coming closer. He could hear it breathing as if it could sniff him out.

"I smell you child." the monster purred out in glee. "I can taste your fear." He didn't want to listen to it anymore. It sounded too normal. There's no way that such a thing is normal. It couldn't be. It was a monster. It was a demon. A clawed hand rested atop the cart, crushing the railing in its grip. "Come out. I just want to play..."

The boy looked up towards the voice. He saw a bloody snout, with blood and flesh dripping from its maw. He shut his eyes closed, praying to anything to save him. A sound of flesh being torn and his body flying forward made him cry out in horror, the tears that were already falling seemed to double as he thought that his life was over and he would be going to see everyone he loves soon.

When he didn't feel pain, he opened his eyes to look towards the sound. He spotted the thing that hurt those he cared for, only it was missing its head. The body was leaning over the cart, crushed from it's weight. The boy turned his head on a swivel, searching for the thing that did that to the monster. He saw someone dashing through the crowds of monsters that was ganging up on the person. When he saw a demon try to sneak attack the man, he was about to call out to dodge when in less than the blink of an eye, the monster fell over with it's chest pierced.

'Run away towards the hill with the large oak tree atop the brow' A calm, soothing voice spoke his mind as he was shaking. He looked towards the east, where he could see the large oak tree where he and his friends in the orphanage liked to play at when they weren't busy. He noticed small shapes near the base of the tree, close together. 'Go, someone you know may be waiting there for you.' the voice spoke once again.

The boy nodded his head as he tried to skirt around the monsters that were chasing after that man as he led them away. He made his way towards the hill, reaching there safely as he looked through the small crowd of people there. He didn't see anyone he was close to, but he did know some people that cared for those at the orphanage he lived in. When they spotted him, he rushed towards them, tears brimming in his eyes anew as he clutched the woman's dress, crying into it. He could feel the woman rubbing his back and head as she crouched down and consoled him. He knew that it would be a lie if anyone said that everything is going to be alright. It wouldn't be. Things had changed, and would never be the same. He would never laugh with his friends. He would never get to go around and shout greetings to his fellow villagers. He would never get to taste Aunty Momma's stew again. He would never be able to tell Big Sis about how he had a crush on her, even though he doesn't know what that is and is just using the word the grown-up's told him.

He cried even harder, just wishing it was all a nightmare. That everything is okay. That he could go and see Big Sis's smile once more. He wished that today was all a lie as he stood watch as well, just in case someone is trying to sneak up on them. They heard footsteps approaching as everyone seemed to get together again as soon as they heard someone coming towards them. He looked up to the sound as he found a man walking towards them. People scrambled together, the children and disabled to the back and the able-bodied people to the front in case he was an enemy. Noticing their movements, he raised his arm up into the air as a sign of surrender.

They finally got a good look at the man who helped them. He is a tall and muscular man with spiked, shaggy black hair that falls to his upper back. He had uneven shorts with his right side being covered in some strange spiked fur and cloth hanging to his side. He had a metal arm-guard covering his left arm and hand with the same fur spikes sprouting from the shoulder-guard. His right wrist was wrapped in some bandages and he had a red cloth wrapped around his head to keep his hair out of his face with scars crisscrossing over his form. **(1)**

"I come in peace. I was the one clearing the town of the demons." The man spoke. It seems like everyone else seemed to notice that it was the same man who had told them to gather near the tree.

"I-Is it over?" a woman asked. The man nodded his head and all at once, everyone collapsed onto the ground in exhaustion. "I've called for some help in the clean-up and the relief to help everyone here to get back on your feet after all that's happened." People started to cry once more and embracing each under.

They waited in quiet as no one wanted to talk about what happened. After a while, the boy stood on my feet and walked over to the man who was waiting quietly, overlooking the deserted village with sadness. He tugged on his pant legs.

"What's up kid?"he asked me. The boy fidgeted in place for a moment before speaking his mind. "Was there anyone else?" he pleaded. The man grimaced before shaking his head. The boy started shaking where he stood, leaning against the man as he finally realized that they were all that survived. The man crouched down, scooping him up into his arms as he patted the boy's back, waiting until he calm down. The boy never realized it, but he fell asleep in his arms.

When he awoke once more, he was still being carried, but he could feel that it was almost dawn now. He heard people talking around him. He could tell that it must've been one of those big city people who have all that fancy stuff while they were in a more rural area.

"-and after I had exterminated the leader, I came over to check on the people who had survived." The man holding the boy spoke. The boy heard scribbling as the officer jotted down the man's report. "Thank you, Naruto-dono. All that's left is the child in your arm. He is the only one left that we have to put somewhere while we send everyone else off. Are you going to adopt him?" The boy stiffened in the man's arms.

"Well, the boy has a say in this so we should let him decide." The man the child now knew as Naruto chuckled. "Rise and shine kid. I know you're up." The boy warily opened his eyes before shutting them shut once again. The light coming from the sun blinded him for a second. He felt Naruto setting him down, as he opened his eyes. The boy looked up to the man who saved him, the sun shining from behind him as he thought the man looked like what he imagined a hero to look like. Well, at least one without a shirt on. "Do you want me?" the boy asked.

"Well, when you put it that way, no." Naruto laughed lightly. The boy looked down. He felt like it was too good to be true. He should just be happy that he was saved. "How about I be your guardian, and then we'll talk about you taking my name." The boy's head shot up in shock. Was he serious? Does he really mean it? "Well, what do you say kid, until you prove to me that you're a man, I'll be your guardian."

The man smiled at him. To the boy, that smile seemed to be everything in the world after he had lost everything.

"You betcha old man. I'll prove to you that I'll be strong just like you." The boy gave his best grin, matching the exuberance Naruto had seen in only one person before. Naruto smiled and ruffled the boy's hair. "So, what's your name kid?"

The boy swatted the man's hand off, grumbling under his breath. "Name's Nagi. Nagi Springfield. And you better believe it."

Naruto chuckled as he felt that this was irony at its best. "Well Nagi, I call myself Naruto. Just Naruto."

And that was the first meeting between two people who would change the world. For better or worse is yet to be seen.

* * *

 **AN: And end scene. I hope all of you enjoyed. It is the first chapter and I was wondering how it is taken. Any reviews would help. Criticism is welcome, as long as it's not something stupid like, 'er mah gawd, y iz nahrutoe nt lyk dis or dat. failz! plz stahp nd due et thiz whey'. I'll take any kind of criticism seriously if people put effort at least into it. I noticed that one thing is that I used 'he' too much because I was trying to purposefully not say Naruto and Nagi's name. Wanted it to be a surprise in a way. If people still think I should change it, then I'll change it a little so I can use their names easier.**

 **Also, no harem members. If I do ask specifically, then I'll give you all a heads up through an author's note.**

 **(1): FFX Jecht, only without the tattoo on his chest. Biggest looking badass character I can think of. Though that may just be because I saw him as a kid when I played FFX and I thought he looked cool. It could also be that he has a badass song when fighting him.**


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